Nursing |
Who Are Nurses?Is This Program in My Area?What Do Nurses Do? A Nurse’s responsibilities include treating and educating patients regarding their medical conditions or ailments, providing advice and emotional support to patients’ family members, recording patients’ medical histories and symptoms, assisting with diagnostic tests and results analysis, operating medical equipment and machinery, administering and monitoring treatments and medications, and aiding patients with follow-up and rehabilitation therapies. Some nurses will specialize in a particular field such as cardiovascular, gynecological, dermatology or orthopedic nursing. Due to the nature of their work, nurses should be caring, sympathetic, responsible, and detail oriented since they supervise others, assess patients’ conditions, and cope with human suffering, emergencies, and other stresses. Nursing Training Individuals pursuing a career in nursing must earn a nursing degree or nursing certification from nursing colleges or an accredited nursing school. Nursing colleges offer different nursing programs depending on the level the student wants to attain. There are three types of nursing degree offered by nursing colleges and nursing schools: Nursing Diploma, Associates Nursing Degree, and Bachelor’s Nursing Degree. The nursing program for a Nursing Diploma is offered through trade schools a nursing school and takes 2-3 years. The Associates of Nursing Degree is offered by Nursing Colleges, Community Colleges and Junior Colleges and also takes 2-3 years. The Bachelor’s of Nursing Degree is offered by nursing colleges, or traditional universities with nursing programs, and takes about 4 years to complete. All three types of nursing programs include classroom instruction and supervised clinical experience in hospitals and other health care facilities. Students in the nursing program take courses in anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, nutrition, psychology and other behavioral sciences, and nursing. All three types of nursing degree qualify graduates for entry-level work. Nursing Certification All 50 States require nursing school and nursing college graduates to pass a nursing certification exam, known as the NCLEX-RN, to obtain their nursing license. This nursing certification is nationally recognized, enabling nurses to be licensed in more than one State. All States require nurses to renew their nursing certification ever 2-4 years. Often this license renew requires people to attend continuing education nursing classes which are available at recognized nursing schools. Nursing Job Prospects Nurses are the primary support for physicians in the medical field and find steady employment in hospitals, clinics, hospices, medical offices, surgical centers, nursing homes and home health care services. Nurses are able to advance their careers through management positions such as: assistant unit manger, head nurse, assistant director, director, vice president or chief nurse. Some nurses take their experience into the business side of health care and manage hospitals, insurance companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and managed care organizations, among others. Some nurses return to nursing schools and nursing colleges to teach nursing programs or conduct medical research. Nursing Job Security and Salary Job opportunities for nurses are excellent. Demand for qualified nurses is increasing steadily. The Bureau of Labor is projecting that demand will grow by 23 percent over the next 8 years, making nursing among the fastest growing occupations. Nursing schools are struggling to meet the demands of the hospitals and clinics. Because of this demand nurses are being paid salaries from $40,000 to $83,000. |